Among the Shrouded (23 page)

CHAPTER

33

KATE

Kate was suddenly awake, staring into the darkness of Lera’s cell.  For a moment, there was only silence, and she couldn’t pinpoint what it was that had roused her from her sleep.  Then, without warning, the overhead bulbs flickered on and the sleeping inhabitants of the basement were bathed in a harsh, glaring light.  She was stricken blind for several moments while her pupils struggled to adjust to the sudden brightness of the room.

She
watched as the captive women began to come to, groaning and stretching in their cells.  The men had never been to the basement in the middle of the night and she surmised their arrival was an indication of bad news.  For that reason, she was immediately concerned for her own safety and chose to remain motionless, hoping to avoid drawing any unnecessary attention to herself.  The familiar scraping of the door latch confirmed they would soon be joined by at least one of the men, and she wasn’t surprised to hear several sets of footsteps coming down the stairs.

She
willed herself to lie still on her mattress although she longed to know what was causing the commotion further down the corridor. 

“Keep walking, Princess,” a familiar voice said.

“She’s a real piece of work,” said another one of the men who frequented the basement.  “Wonder what they’re gonna do with her?”

“Who knows? 
She ain’t our problem.  All they told me was to find somewhere to keep her down here for now.  I just do what I’m told.”

“Quit throwing elbows
or I’ll rip them off!” the first man yelled at whoever they were dragging down the hall.

“If she’s this much trouble tied up,
I bet she put up one hell of a fight when they grabbed her.  I heard somebody ended up with a broken nose.”

“Hope it was Lenny.  That kid had it coming.”

“Who knows.  You wouldn’t think such a little thing would be so tough, but this bitch has claws.”

She
was aware the trio had stopped directly in front of her cell. The final cell, next to Anya’s on the opposite side of the hall, was the only one that remained unoccupied.  She listened as the metal door creaked on its hinges and the newest arrival was shoved unceremoniously into the cell.

“You gonna leave her like that?” asked one
of the men.

“Yeah.  Why not?
  The others will be here in the morning with breakfast for the rest of the whores.  Let them deal with her.  I don’t wanna risk getting this beautiful face of mine messed up,” he laughed as he shut and locked the cell door behind him.

“
Whateva you say.”

Without any further conversation, the two men made their way along the hall
way, climbed the stairs, and disappeared into the night.  They extinguished the lights and the basement was thrown into immediate darkness.  She sat up on her mattress and waited as her eyes struggled again to acclimate themselves to her surroundings.

“Anya?” she called
into the shadows.

“Yes?”

“Can you reach her?”

“I don’t know.  I can’t see yet,
” Anya replied.  She began speaking to the newest member of their group in English.  “If you can understand me, follow my voice and come stand beside my cell.  I will help get you untied.”

She
heard the new girl shuffling along the floor in Anya’s direction.  She took it as a good sign that the woman understood English.  Her eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness and she could just make out the outline of the woman fumbling toward Anya’s voice.

“That’s good.  You are almost here.  Be careful.  Don’t run into the wall.  Good,” Anya said,
coaching her across the cell.  “Okay, now I need you to turn around so I can try to untie your hands.  I can see them now, pretty well, but it might take me a few minutes, so hang in there.”

She
watched from her cell as Anya worked feverishly on the woman’s bindings.  The woman was indeed small, as the men had described.  Part of her shirt was torn away and in addition to being bound, she was also blindfolded and gagged.  Her heart ached for the newest arrival.

“I’ve almost got it.  Just another minute,” Anya said.

Finally, the rope slipped from around the woman’s wrists.  It fell to the ground and she immediately tore the blindfold from her eyes.  She saw horror spread across the woman’s face as she looked around the basement for the first time.  The woman took two steps back and tripped on the mattress, falling to the floor.  She did not attempt to stand up and instead started peeling the duct tape that was fastened securely across her mouth.  She watched as the woman pulled delicately at the corner of the tape, grimacing with each tug.  She was horrified when the woman began pulling firmly at one edge, and with one final yank, removed the entire strip of tape from her lips.

The basement
echoed with an agonizing scream.  She winced, imagining the excruciating pain the tape had caused.  After several moments, the woman settled herself and walked to the edge of her cell.

“Thank you,” she said weakly to Anya.

“You’re welcome,” Anya replied.

She
detected something strange about the woman’s voice.  Her English was perfect.  Almost too perfect.

“What is your name,”
she asked.

“Mia,” the woman responded.

“I am Kate.”

“And I am Anya.”

“And I am trying to sleep!” called one of the women from the far end of the hall.

“Where are we?” Mia whispered.

“We don’t know,” said Anya.

“Where did you come from?” Mia continued.

“Anya and Lera and I are from Kiev, in the Ukraine,”
she replied.  “But there are women here from all over.  Where did they bring you from?”

“I live here.  Here in Baltimore.  I as
sume I’m still somewhere in the city.  The ride wasn’t that long so we couldn’t have gone far.”

The women were silent for several moments, and
she struggled to understand why the men would choose to imprison an American woman.  She had assumed that only foreign women were kept for the auctions because she hadn’t seen a single American woman since her arrival.  She wondered whether Mia would be auctioned off with the rest of them when the time came again.

She
watched Mia return to her mattress where she sat with her legs folded beneath her.  “What’s going on here?” she whispered.

“It’s too horrible to describe,” said Lera, joining the conversation for the first time.

“Try me,” Mia said.

“There are fourteen of us.  Now fifteen, including you.  We’ve been brought here from many different countries.  None of us were aware we were to be imprisoned when we
arrived,” she explained.  She stopped and was hesitant to continue.

“And why are they keeping you here?” Mia asked.

“To make money.  They sell us at auction to the highest bidder,” Anya said.

“And what does the highest bidder get for his payment?” asked Mia
, quietly.

“He gets to rape you,” Anya replied
sharply.

She
expected Mia to have some sort of visceral reaction to Anya’s pronouncement, so it came as quite a surprise when instead, she didn’t react at all. There were no gasps of shock or moans of horror. Instead, without another word, the petite woman lay down upon her mattress with her face toward the concrete wall and appeared to fall asleep.  After several minutes, her voice echoed off the concrete walls of the warehouse basement.

“My name is Mia Rosetti
and I am a police officer.  I need you all to sleep well tonight.  Tomorrow, I will need each of you to tell me your story.  I will need you to remember every detail about the journey that led you to this basement.  You will need to remember the faces of the men who lured you here, the men who enslaved you, and the men who have defiled you.  I will need you to remember because tomorrow, I am going to help you all find a way out.”

She
curled up upon her own filthy mattress and realized at last the tremendous power of her gift.  It was clear to her the hours she had spent each day concentrating on a way out had somehow brought Mia to help them.  Never before had she been able to use her power to shape her own circumstances in such a tremendous way.  She surmised that the reason for her increased ability was probably a direct result of the direness of her situation.  She closed her eyes and found she was eager for morning and the opportunity it would surely bring.

CHAPTER

34

THOMAS

The clock on the nightstand read 4:18.  Thomas had barely slept and although his mind continued to race, he was mentally exhausted.  After several more minutes of staring at the ceiling, he decided to finally give up on sleep and begin the day.

He arrived early
to the bistro and spent the hours before the restaurant opened in the kitchen with Belinda.  He was glad for the distraction and baked dozens of scones by her side.  If she noticed his lack of focus, she didn’t mention it and seemed happy for the quiet company he provided.

By the time patrons arrived, the physical exhaustion from his lack of sleep was beginning to set in.  He moved slowly around the dining room in a foggy daze.  Dishes piled up and customers waited impatiently to be seated w
hile he reset the tables.  However, by the time the lunch crowd arrived, he had gotten a second wind and was turning over tables more quickly.  As he carried a full tub of plates and glasses into the kitchen, Belinda caught him by surprise at the doorway.

“Penny for your thoughts today
, Thomas?” she asked.

“I didn’t sleep well last night.  I’ve been dragging today.  I’m sorry
, Belinda.  I’m feeling better now.”

“No.  Now there’s more to it than a lack of sleep.  I can tell when something’s got you troubled.  Is everything okay?”

“Yeah.  Sure.”  He could see Belinda knew he was lying.  “Okay, no.  Not really.”

“Oh?” said Belinda.

“Mia’s missing.”

“Missing?” Belinda gasped.

“Okay.  Missing may be a strong word.  But she’s not returning my calls and she hasn’t been into work all week.  Apparently she requested time off and no one knows why.”

“Sounds like a mystery.”

“Sadly, I’m more of a comedy guy myself,” he said, unable to laugh at his own joke.   “Anyway, I’m going to go talk to her father this afternoon to see what he knows about her leave of absence.”

“
Good idea,” replied Belinda.

“Yeah, except
I’ve never met him before and I know he wasn’t in love with the idea of us dating.”

“What’s wrong with the man?”
she said, grinning at him.

“Not everyone is a member of the Thomas fan club.”

“Well, you’re talking to the president,” she said.  “Don’t be nervous, Hon.  Once he meets you, he’s gonna love you just like the rest of us do.”

“I wish I could share your
optimism.”

“You’re gonna be fine.  I’ve got to get back to the kitchen.  Good luck
, Thomas.”

“Thanks
, Belinda.”

By 2:30, the dining room was empty and
he had already cleaned the floors and reset all of the tables.  He hung his apron in the workroom and clocked out.

As he rode
the bus into the city, he didn’t know whether he was more nervous about meeting Mia’s father or about the information he might have to share with him about her disappearance.  When he arrived at the station, he chose to enter through the main doors instead of the rear entrance that led to the lineup office.

“Can I help you?” asked the woman at the front desk.

“I was wondering if Jack was available,” he said.

“Officer Anderson?”

“Is Officer Anderson Mia Rosetti’s partner?”

“Yes,” the woman replied.

“Then, yes,” he said, “I’d like to speak with Officer Anderson.”

“He’s out on patrol right now,” she said dryly.

He took a deep breath and smiled genuinely at the woman.  “Okay,” he said, gathering his courage, “then is Major Rosetti available?”

“Do you have an appointment?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Then I’m afraid you won’t be able to see him today,” she replied.

He glanced at the woman’s nametag.  It said her name was Marjorie.

“Marjorie,” he said, “can I be honest with you?”

“Have you been lying to me?”

“No, of course not.  What I meant was there is a specific reason why I need to see Major Rosetti
today
.  It has to do with his daughter, Mia.”

“I see.  Is this a personal matter?” Marjorie asked.

“Yes and no.”

Marjorie
’s impatience was obvious as she rolled her eyes in annoyance.  “Sir, I don’t have time for this today.  I’m going to have to ask you to move along.”

“Please
, Marjorie.  It has to do with Mia’s safety.  I think he would want to speak with me.  Could you just call him and ask if he’d be willing to see me, if only for a few minutes.  It would mean a lot.”

She
looked skeptically at him.  And then she picked up her phone receiver.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“Thomas Pritchett.”

He
listened as Marjorie connected to several different people before finally reaching Mia’s father.

“Yes
, Sir.  I’m sorry to bother you,” she said.  “There’s a Thomas Pritchett here at the front desk asking to speak with you.”  There was a pause.  “He says he wants to speak to you about Mia…  Yes, Sir.  I’ll let him know.”

She
hung up the phone and motioned to an officer standing on the far side of the room. 

“Yes
, Ma’am,” he said.

“Gus, can you walk Mr. Pritchett here to Major Rosetti’s office?  He’
s expecting him.”

“Certainly.  Follow me,” he said to Thomas.

He thanked Marjorie for her help and followed Gus further into the station.

Carlos Rosetti was a formidable man.  As solid as his daughter was small, he rose like an oak tree from behind his desk as he entered the room.  The men shook hands and Rosetti motioned for Thomas to sit across from him at his desk.

“What can I do for you today
, Mr. Pritchett?” Rosetti asked, making no attempt to mask the irritation in his voice.

“Sir, first,
thank you for seeing me.  I appreciate your time.  I’m here because I haven’t heard from Mia in a few days.”

“I wasn’t aware you two were still in communication.”

“Oh.  Well.  Yes sir, I spent some time with her over the weekend.  I’ve been trying to get in touch with her this week, but I was told she’s taken a leave of absence?”

“Yes,” Rosetti confirmed.

“Oh.  Okay.  Well, I guess I just wanted to make sure she was safe.  When I didn’t hear from her, I got concerned something may have happened, that’s all.”

He
could see Rosetti softening slightly.  “I can assure you she’s fine.”

“Can you tell me when she’ll be back?”
he asked.

“I don’t know exactly.”

“Oh.”  He paused, unsure of how deeply Rosetti would allow him to pry into Mia’s personal business.  “Is she traveling?”

“I can see you aren’
t going to leave me alone until I tell you everything I know,” Rosetti said.  He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and began typing on the keypad.  Mia’s voice filled the room and he held his breath.

“Dad, it’s Mia.  I wanted to let you
know I won’t be coming into work for a little while.  Some friends from school called and asked me to go away on a girls’ retreat.  I’ll call you in a few days.  I love you.”

“That’s all I know,” Rosetti said
, turning off his phone.

It was all
he could do to continue breathing.  It wasn’t so much the words she had spoken, but the intonation in her voice.  Her voice sounded very different from that of someone who was getting ready to go on an unexpected vacation with a group of friends.  Instead of sounding joyful or excited, she sounded petrified.

“With all due respect
Major Rosetti, Mia didn’t sound like herself at all,” he said.

“What are you talking about?
  She sounded just fine.  Let’s not go fishing for excuses, Mr. Pritchett.  Perhaps this little trip was her way of ending things with you quickly and painlessly,” he said smugly.

Strangely, h
earing her message had convinced him she wasn’t looking for a way out.  In fact, for the first time since parting ways on Sunday morning, he was finally sure she wasn’t purposefully avoiding him.  He replayed the sound of her voice in his head.  He felt sick and swallowed back the stomach acid that was making its way into his throat.  He suddenly realized what was going on.

“Sir,
something happened over the weekend I have to tell you about.”

“Oh?”

“Yes.  Mia and I went to this house out in Owings Mills…”

“She took
you
?” Rosetti exclaimed.

“Yes
, sir.  I was there.  Did she tell you what we saw?”

“Of course she did.  Why in the world would she have taken you?”

“Like I told you, Sir, we’ve been seeing each other…”

“Mr. Pritchett, I’ve heard enough from you this afternoon.”

“No.  Sir.  You don’t understand.  I don’t think Mia’s vacationing with her friends.  I think somehow they’ve found her.  I can hear it in her voice.  She was scared.”

“I think you are
really grasping at straws for some reason.  My daughter doesn’t get scared.  She’s a police officer for Christ’s sake.  And my daughter will certainly be better off without someone like you bringing her down.  So I will thank you very much to see yourself out of my office and out of my daughter’s life.

“But
, Sir!”

“Good day, Mr. Pritchett.”

Without another word, he stood from the chair and left Rosetti’s office.  After several minutes of wandering aimlessly through the station in search of a way out, he was finally recognized by one of the lineup officers who was kind enough to help him find the front door.

He
spent the rest of the night worried for Mia and filled with anxiety about which course of action he should take.  He was sure the fear in her voice was directly related to what they had witnessed at Wayne Brookins’ house.  He believed it wasn’t a coincidence that she had disappeared immediately following her discovery of the traffickers.  And the vague and frightened message she left on her father’s cell phone helped to confirm his suspicions. 

Without the support of her father,
he realized he would be alone in his quest to discover what had happened to Mia.  Sadly, without her guidance, he questioned whether or not he even stood a chance.